The concept of silence is fundamental to all religious and philosophical
traditions, and author Greene offers a survey touching upon nearly all of the
world views. But unfortunately this book is now too old and too general to be
serviceable to those who are prepared to fully understand and practice this
virtue.

Not that the book has no merit. But no comparable work
surveying this essential concept comprehensively has appeared. We fall back on
books and articles making partial forays or upon reflective classics like Max Picard's
"The World of Silence," while
awaiting a history and proper psychology of silence.

Although the work does
not say so, Greene's book was probably a
reworking of her 1938 dissertation entitled "The Religious Uses of Silence,"
which accounts for the slight extension of the notion of religion to include
philosophies, and for the technical, even mechanical, structure of the book. The general nature of
the presentation is revealed in the introduction, which sounds a popular and
antiquarian tone:

The deliberate use of silence is no longer the concern of the few odd ones,
if ever it was. Frankly or covertly it has taken its place in the lives of
thousands, for better or worse. And as it may be a far more potent force either
way than a superficial acquaintance might suggest, it is worthy of unbiased
scrutiny, and invites to deeper study. ... That deeper study will not be carried
very far in this inquiry. ...

This cursory treatment means that names and traditions dominate over
analysis. Greene ranges widely,
scouring the literature for references to silence, but the effect is anecdotal.
Perhaps organizing the chapters by traditions rather than topics would have
created a better discipline for the researcher and a better structure for the
reader. But the absence of predecessors dictated the tentative exploration of
what was a relatively new subject at the time.

Of course, no one can quarrel with one of Greene's conclusions:

I make bold to say that nothing is more conducive to inward peace and quiet --
yes, even in a torn and distracted world -- than to know that conditions
altogether transcending those of the environment and its worldly routine are
discoverable to him who seeks, and who does what is necessary to attain.

The book is still a useful assembly of original sources for the persistent. Old
stand-bys like Evelyn Underhill and T. D. Suzuki will be cited as
contemporaries. But Trappists before Merton, Hindu silence before Ramana,
perennial philosophy before Huxley's classic, and Annie Besant as a source on
Eastern religion reveal the book's age.
Comments on Therapeuts, Sufis, and Quakers are welcome, however, and I was reminded of
some good Walt Whitman sayings from Democratic Vistas. But, alas, a true
philosophy of silence still awaits us.

CHAPTERS (and our italicized notes on their content)

Introduction

The Different Kinds of Silencereligious uses of silence and reflective thought as two kinds